District Court construction on schedule

New six-story structure expected to open in December

The new District Courthouse in Rockville is more than halfway completed and expected to open at the end of the year.

The new District Courthouse in Rockville is more than halfway completed and is on time and on budget, state officials say.

The $59.9 million project sits on the site of the former Rockville Library at the corner of Jefferson Street and Maryland Avenue in the heart of the city.

At 167,072 total square feet and six stories tall, it will contain nine courtrooms and four hearing rooms, court room holding areas, offices for judicial administration, court clerks, commissioners, advocate services, public defender offices, Parole and Probation and the Drunk Driver Monitoring Program, according to state officials.

It is being built because the current courthouse is overcrowded and in need of renovations, state officials have said.

Area residents fought the project being built at the site, saying the location was inappropriate because the massive structure would tower over City Hall, located across the street, and a nearby church, school and houses.

"At the end of December [2009] it was 54 percent complete," said Burt Thomas, the acting assistant secretary in the Maryland Department of General Services. "Everything is falling into place."

Eleven weather days could be used and the project would still be considered on schedule, Thomas said.

The expected completion date is Dec. 3, or Dec. 14 if the weather days are used, he said.